C. Felix Harvey, legendary local businessman, dies at 93

C. Felix Harvey stands outside his orchard on U.S. 70 after being named to the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame in 2011. Harvey died Thursday after suffering a stroke before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Published: Friday, January 3, 2014 at 07:56 PM.

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C. Felix Harvey, 93, a successful businessman known not just in the area but in the region and state, died Thursday at his home, surrounded by his family.

He was remembered by colleagues and friends not only for his business acumen, but his involvement in Kinston and Lenoir County where he grew up.

Family members, though, remembered Harvey for his love of people.

“I always heard the expression, There are two types of people in this world, the ones who walk in and say “Here I am” and the ones who say “There you are,” said Lee Burrows, Harvey’s son-in-law. “He was one who would say ‘There you are.’ He could find the best quality of a person almost immediately.”

Harvey may have been responsible for Fortune 500 companies, but his grandson Charlie McNairy remembers him for Falling Creek Produce, a roadside fruit stand he started in the 1990s. All Harvey’s grandchildren worked there.

McNairy said he, his siblings and cousins learned a lot of their own business sense at the fruit stand and will remember other life lessons from their grandfather.

“He always said that life was 10 percent what happened to you and 90 percent your attitude and how you responded to it,” McNairy said. “We’ve all embraced that. I never wanted to let him down.”

C. Felix Harvey, 93, a successful businessman known not just in the area but in the region and state, died Thursday at his home, surrounded by his family.

He was remembered by colleagues and friends not only for his business acumen, but his involvement in Kinston and Lenoir County where he grew up.

Family members, though, remembered Harvey for his love of people.

“I always heard the expression, There are two types of people in this world, the ones who walk in and say “Here I am” and the ones who say “There you are,” said Lee Burrows, Harvey’s son-in-law. “He was one who would say ‘There you are.’ He could find the best quality of a person almost immediately.”

Harvey may have been responsible for Fortune 500 companies, but his grandson Charlie McNairy remembers him for Falling Creek Produce, a roadside fruit stand he started in the 1990s. All Harvey’s grandchildren worked there.

McNairy said he, his siblings and cousins learned a lot of their own business sense at the fruit stand and will remember other life lessons from their grandfather.

“He always said that life was 10 percent what happened to you and 90 percent your attitude and how you responded to it,” McNairy said. “We’ve all embraced that. I never wanted to let him down.”

Harvey was born July 16, 1920 to a prosperous business and farming family, according to his biography at the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame. His grandfather was one of the founding members of the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce; Felix Harvey would be named a “Citizen of the Year” by the chamber during his long career.

“He has always been so supportive of Kinston,” said Jan Parson, director of events and programs for the chamber.

Felix Harvey graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1942 and joined the Navy midshipman school, serving on a PT boat during World War II.

“Those guys that served in World War II were a remarkable generation,” McNairy said.

Going back to a career in business once the war was over, Harvey helped start one of the first John Deere tractor dealerships in the South. In 1950, he became president and CEO of the family firm at the age of 29. Harvey Enterprises expanded over the years to include a dairy, an LP gas distribution company, a cotton brokerage and a trucking firm. In 1955, Harvey founded his first publicly traded company, the Life Insurance Company of North Carolina, which merged in 1963 with Georgia International Life Insurance Company. He became chairman in 1969 and moved into joint ownership of foreign companies.

Harvey also got into banking in 1987 with the founding and chairmanship of a savings bank which was sold in 1993. In the 1998, he and other Eastern North Carolina businessmen founded the little bank, which now has six branches in the region.

When plans first were being drawn up for what was to become the Global TransPark, Harvey was one of the first backers, donating to the GTP Foundation.

“He was instrumental in getting the GTP going,” said Lonnie Blizzard, who was the first director of the GTP Training Center. C. Felix Harvey Parkway, one of the major roads connecting the GTP and the training center, is named for him.

Burrows said his father-in-law appreciated the road naming and other honors he received, but the accolades didn’t define him.

“He was an unflashy person,” Burroughs said. “He lived in the same house since 1948.”

Blizzard and others remember Harvey for his generosity not just with the development of the TransPark, but in numerous other organizations around Kinston and Lenoir County.

“In my 25 years at Lenoir Community College, he was always supportive of the college and the foundation,” Blizzard said.

Brantley Briley, current LCC president, said Harvey has been the biggest donors to the college.

“He leaves behind a legacy of giving to this community that will forever be appreciated,” said Kinston Mayor B.J. Murphy.

Former Kinston Mayor Buddy Ritch was a friend of Harvey’s.

“He was one of the most caring citizens in this community and eastern North Carolina,” Ritch said.

Jim Godfrey knew Harvey when Godfrey served as president of the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce from 1987 to 2003.

“He was one of the most respectful people I ever worked with and he always put Kinston and Lenoir County first,” Godfrey said. “There is not much in this community that doesn’t have his fingerprint on it. I always said if Mr. Harvey ever started another business and sold stock, I’d buy it. He has an impeccable reputation, not just in North Carolina but around the Southeast.”

Harvey gave financial and other support to a number of organizations around the area, from the Kinston Community Council for the Arts to the Lenoir-Greene United Way. Thanks to Harvey’s efforts, the United Way didn’t miss a fundraising campaign goal.

“Every time I would see him he would ask ‘How’s the campaign?’” said June Cummings, United Way executive director. “If I told him it was going good, he’d say ‘Great,’ if I told him it wasn’t going well, he’d say, ‘Come and see me and we’ll talk.’ He was that kind of man.”

John Marston, president of the Neuse Gunboat Association, said Harvey’s family will have a “tremendous legacy” to carry on. He knew Harvey for more than 35 years.

“I’ve always considered Felix Harvey a good friend and one of the most generous individuals I have ever known,” Marston said. “Lenoir County, North Carolina and other parts of the country have been greatly impacted by this one intelligent individual.”

Marston praised Harvey for his contributions to the community.

He was involved in any way he could, whether it was donating buildings or providing funds,” he said. “He could do it all. He was just a great individual.”

Alban Barrus is another area businessman who knew Harvey well.

“Our community has lost one of its most outstanding citizens of all time,” he said. “I had several business dealings with him and I don’t believe I have ever dealt with anyone that was more fair or honorable to do business with.”

Lenoir County Commissioner Craig Hill agreed with others that Harvey’s legacy can be seen throughout the county.

“Felix is someone who had an impact on all aspects of life in Lenoir County, from health care and education, to economic development,” he said. “But, his real legacy really is about faith, family and community. He has certainly been a legendary figure in our community and has helped develop it into what it is today.”

Former Kinston city councilwoman Alice Tingle said Harvey was generous to his community. .

”He was a man of faith who carried out that faith through his generosity,” she said. “He was a person who touched every aspect of our community in a positive way. He was an advocate for the highest quality of life for the citizens in our town and I will greatly miss the dear friendship I shared with Felix.”

“He was very generous with his money and I always found him to be fair and up front,” said former Lenoir County Commissioner chairman Oscar Herring.

Dwight Howard, owner of Howard Developments, said Harvey was a savvy businessman.

“He was extremely astute and very smart,” he said. “He tried to help the underdog and he always ran a business straight and solid.”

A reception honoring Harvey’s life will be held at the Kinston Country Club from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday. A private burial will be held prior to the reception. Memorial contributions in Harvey’s honor may be made to Queen Street United Methodist Church or the Salvation Army.